The present invention concerns an assembly comprising at least two parts that are moveable in relation to each other: a building with at least one door, a vehicle with doors, a boot and a bonnet, a container such as a trunk, suitcase, bag, etc.
It can also cover casings requiring high-quality closure: photographic, cinematic, video and other cameras. In a fairly elaborate version, it may cover sealed doors, security lock chambers, and the like.
Indeed, whatever the application, the invention allows two parts that are moveable in respect of each other, particularly hinged, to be connected in an extremely sturdy manner, so as to withstand the stresses imposed on these parts, systematically or occasionally, by the use of the assembly.
It is known in particular that luggage is often subject to impacts during handling in travel: it can fall (sometimes from quite high) or receive relatively violent impacts at the time of collisions between rail carriages, on aircraft landing, etc.
Impacts often have the effect of placing a stress on the two moveable parts, the body of the article of luggage and its lid, so as to separate them.
Since these two parts cooperate, in the closed position, by contact between rabbets, the latter are very resistant to perpendicular impact but the two parts are only held in the closed position by added mechanical elements that are independent of the rabbets themselves.
In general these elements comprise at least one pivoting part that has to cooperate with a fixed part, similar to the bolt of a lock in its keeper.
In other words, however strong the two parts are, they cannot withstand an opening effort other than through the mechanical parts connecting them.
For this reason, manufacturers have concentrated their efforts on these mechanical elements since it is easy to solve the problem of the sturdiness of the assembly itself.
For instance, articles of luggage are now made of very strong synthetic materials, shaped as two shells edged with metallic rabbets, and it is known that such luggage is capable of resisting very high pressure without the risk of crushing.
Some articles of luggage have a very comprehensive metal structure that makes the assembly even more rigid and strong.
But even these articles of luggage can open under the effect of a very low stress if they are fitted with rudimentary locks.
To specify the state of the art, we can cite:
patent specification FR-A-2.388.973, which describes a solution to the problem of a door or similar being forced by means of a tool inserted into a gap between two parts that are moveable in relation to each other, with a view to exerting a lever effect. PA1 the arc of the curves has a deflection of a length less than the corresponding chord; PA1 the arc of the curves has a deflection of a length comprised between 1/100 and 1/4 of the length of the corresponding chord; PA1 if the assembly has a length L, a width I and a third dimension, height or thickness, H, then the height of the deflection of the arc of the curves is of the order of magnitude of 2/3 of H; PA1 the two distinct parts are moveable in relation to one another between a position known as "open" in which there is a passage between the two parts and a position known as "closed" in which the two parts are applied against one another, blocking the passage, when the two parts are in a closed position; PA1 the parts have a polygonal contour and have rabbets on at least two nonparallel sides of their contour; PA1 the parts have a quadrangular contour; PA1 the parts have rabbets on all four sides; PA1 the two parts are hinged together along an axis of pivoting; PA1 the axis of pivoting is close to one of the sides of the parts; PA1 the parts have rabbets on that one of their sides that is the closest to the axis of hinging; PA1 the moveable parts have to cooperate edge to edge, the portions shaped as a convex and concave curved arc being located in a line substantially perpendicular to the plane of the moveable parts proper; PA1 the moveable parts have to be located in the closed position, in planes that are substantially an extension of one another, such that the edges are themselves in the extension of said moveable parts and the portions shaped as a convex and concave curved arc in the extension of said edges; PA1 the rabbets have rims that are offset in twos and have to be positioned against one another when the two parts are in the closed position; PA1 a flexible seal is secured to one of the rabbets facing the opposite rabbet; PA1 the assembly comprises means intended to make a tight closure of the two parts, at right angles to the rabbets, said rabbets delimiting a space located between the two parts when they are in the closed position, which space is connected to an air suction device; PA1 one of the two parts at least has struts that have to cooperate with the other part, in the closed position; PA1 the two parts have struts, those of the one part having to be placed against those of the other part, in the closed position; PA1 the two distinct parts are joined together so as to be made inseparable and to form a single structure constituted by two shells; PA1 the shells define an internal space; PA1 the internal space contains struts between the shells; PA1 the internal space contains a filling material; PA1 the assembly has the general shape of a roller; PA1 at least one of the distinct parts has a convex outer face, in the shape of a dome with a very flat curve forming a vault; PA1 the part that has a convex outer face, in the shape of a dome with a very flat curve, has a polygonal contour, each vertex of the polygon being itself curved and convex, being connected to lateral faces that are substantially orthogonal to the convex outer face; PA1 each vertex of the polygon is a fraction of a sphere; PA1 the two distinct parts are asymmetrical; PA1 the rabbets are variable in width; PA1 the assembly having a polygonal contour, the greatest width of the rabbets is in the vicinity of the vertices of the polygon and/or in the central zone of its sides; PA1 the greatest width of the rabbets is at the vertex of the respectively convex and concave arcs; PA1 at least one of the parts is made of a material that is variable in thickness; PA1 at least one of the two parts has reinforcing ribs; PA1 the reinforcing ribs are hollow; PA1 the reinforcing ribs contain a filling material such as a synthetic foam which may if appropriate be strengthened, a cellular network or similar; PA1 the assembly consists of a container such as an article of luggage, a recipient or similar and has, externally, sliding elements such as runners, preferably produced in a piece with the assembly proper.
This solution consists of providing, between the two moveable parts, zigzag surfaces, that is, surfaces formed of teeth that are very numerous, very sloping (at least 45.degree.) and very close together so that there is no rectilinear part between two successive teeth that would allow a tool to be inserted and used as a lever so as to force apart the two moveable parts.
In this way, " . . . Owing to such a slope, even if a malicious person manages to insert any kind of tool into the gap separating the two moveable parts, the force he can exert with this tool does not produce a component tending to separate the two moveable parts." (Page 2, lines 31 to 35.)
The solution described in that document therefore concerns a problem that is quite different from that solved by the present invention.